News and What's Happening

No Greatness Without Goodness

Randy Lewis, former senior vice president at Walgreens, will give a talk in Sottile Theater at 7 pm on January 20th. The title of the talk is No Greatness Without Goodness, and he will discuss his efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Walgreens. The talk is free and open to the public.

Randy has an interesting background – Peace Corps volunteer, Ernst and Young Partner, and Fortune 50 senior executive. Before he retired in 2013 as Senior Vice President, Randy led Walgreens’ logistics division for 16 years as the chain grew from 1,500 stores to 8,000 stores, with the most advanced logistics network in its history. Randy is also the father of a young man with autism, and he made it his mission to develop a disability employment model in the Walgreens’ distribution centers. The initiative was so successful that it now serves as a model for other employers in the US and abroad, including P&G, Lowes, Meijer, and Marks & Spencer. Randy recently authored a book detailing the challenges and triumphs of this effort, and the book is entitled, No Greatness Without Goodness. Randy was recognized by the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago as Leader of the Year in 2011, and he also received South Carolina's highest award to non-citizens - the Order of the Silver Crescent - for his leadership and contribution to the well-being of South Carolinians. Over the past year, he has developed the NOGWOG Disability Initiative as an effective, low-cost and sustainable disability hiring model for employers. It is a private/public partnership between employers, community providers and government to provide employers the qualified candidates they need and people with disabilities the opportunities they seek.

The Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry and the College of Charleston are teaming up to bring Professor Sue Buckley, internationally renowned researcher and trainer, to Charleston. Gen Ed and Special Ed Teachers: this conference is for
YOU! We invite teams of general and special education teachers to register together for these interactive workshops. We ask that at least two teachers from a school attend, and that at least one team member from each school be a general education teacher.
We also welcome administrators!

*All schools that send at least one general and one special educator will receive the Inclusive Education Resource Package ( $150 value):
- Reading and Language Intervention Teacher’s Handbook - Inclusion in Practice DVD
- Visual Schedule for the Classroom

Parking is available at the George St. garage, located on St. Phillips St. between George and Wentworth.
Sessions will be held at the Stern Center Ballroom (4th floor) on the CofC campus The Stern Center is located at the corner of George St. and Coming St.
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Register by emailing Michele Deneau:deneauma@cofc.edu
Please send your name, school, district, grade/age group, session, and teammate
You must be registered to attend.

Parking is available at the George St. garage, located on St. Phillips St. between George and Wentworth.
Sessions will be held at the Education Center, 86 Wentworth on the CofC campus The Education Center is located at the corner of Wentworth and St. Phillips
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In these interactive workshops, you will learn how to maximize educational opportunities for your child, improve social skills and personal independence, manage behavioral challenges, and understand new technological supports.

On May 3rd, DSAL partnered with Eco Fitness to hold the 2nd annual Ride for Kids. The event was a huge success and over $15,000 was raised! This money will help pay for upcoming athletic camps and programs, including our first ever Climbing Camp August 11 to 15th at James Island CP!

Of course, this fundraiser would not be possible without the support and real passion for special people from the staff and members of Eco Fitness. A special thank you to Grace Ayers, Laura Gauntlett, Kyle Radaker, Catherine Vaughn, Lois Newberry, and Daryl Payton! Julia Slattery and I always look forward to our planning meetings with the Eco team and recognize how fortunate this partnership is for our organization and the special needs community here in the Lowocountry.

The program in only its second full year has already raised over a quarter of a million dollars for cognitive research being conducted at institutions like Johns Hopkins, Stanford and UCSD, and it is growing. Interest and participation across the country is helping RDS re-state public support for research that has the potential to develop therapies that will assist memory and learning in persons with Ds, and perhaps offset the increased likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease.